Full-figured, hard-edged leading lady of the late 1950s and early 60s who, next to Jayne Mansfield, was one of the best known of the Marilyn Monroe imitators to emerge at that time. Van Doren, however, was not cast primarily in comedies like the more successful Mansfield; instead, she primarily appeared in schlocky "B" melodramas like "Guns, Girls, and Gangsters" (1958), "The Beat Generation" (1959), and "The Navy vs. the Night Monsters" (1966) and exploitation films like "High School Confidential" (1958), "Sex Kittens Go the College" (1960). Van Doren's minor cult status was acknowledged in 1994's "Pulp Fiction", in which a character named "Mamie Van Doren" was played by Lorelei Leslie.
- Also Credited As:
Joan Lucille Olander, Joan Olander
- Born:
February 6, 1931 in Rowena, South Dakota, USA
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Job Titles:
Actor, Singer, Secretary
Family
Significant Others
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Companion: Bo Belinsky. born on December 7, 1936; was engaged briefly in the 1960s; died on November 23, 2001
Education
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Los Angeles High School, Los Angeles, California
Milestones
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1950 Played a small role in the Howard Hughes-Joseph von Sternberg debacle, Jet Pilot , starring John Wayne and Janet Leigh; film was not released until 1957
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1951 Initial film released, His Kind of Woman ; billed as Joan Olander
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1955 Played first female lead in a film, Running Wild
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1956 First worked with producer (and sometime director) Albert Zugsmith, Star in the Dust
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1960 Played Maybelle Perkins on the CBS comedy special (and series pilot), Meet the Girls: The Shape, The Face and the Brain
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1967 Among last leading roles in features was her part in You ve Got to Be Smart
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1986 Returned to features after nearly 20 years to play a supporting role in the teen comedy, Free Ride
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1987 Played the role of Minnie on the HBO five-part comedy-adventure series, Glory Years
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2002 Made cameo appearance (including doffing her top) in Slackers